reduce energy and carbon use, which will also save costs – something
which is high on the agenda for many in the current environment.
The next step is to use this strategy to maximise energy savings
throughout the business. This can be kickstarted by reconfiguring the
building management system (BMS) to suit new occupancy levels, for
example when operating on only selected floors or if the building’s
opening times have changed. Ensuring the BMS is connected to
the cloud allows these changes to be made and any problems fixed
remotely, which is much quicker, and potentially safer, than sending
an engineer to site.
For those that are serious about reducing their impact on the
planet, switching to renewable energy sources is key. In fact, in May
Mitie announced it was joining the RE100 initiative, having already
switched all our sites to 100% renewable electricity. With prices
at a record low, now is the time to get a great deal on a long-term
renewable energy contract.
As the BMS highlights, technology is the best way to optimise
energy reduction. Not only does it enable businesses to optimise
assets, it also provides data which can support decision making – for
example, which buildings to keep open or closed.
Connected workspace sensors are also very e ective. In our own
head o ice in The Shard, we have sensors installed all over the site
– to monitor hot desk and meeting room occupancy, temperature
and air quality. In the ‘new normal’ these will not only support social
distancing, but by feeding data into the BMS in real-time, HVAC
systems and thermostats can be controlled accordingly.
The final step is to prepare for the future. Businesses that have
re-evaluated their net zero strategy and invested in technology will be
more agile, responding quickly to future challenges such as changes
to the nation’s lockdown status. Thinking beyond COVID-19, it’s also
important to start planning for the bigger picture now – whether
that be building an electric vehicle fleet or slashing supply chain
emissions.
Whilst we may never return to exactly what was once business as
usual, there is an opportunity to influence how we bake sustainability
in to our ‘new normal’ by including it from the outset. By taking
these green steps, businesses can ensure their environmental targets
remain on track.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST’S VIEW
CHRIS HAVERS, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR OF THE SUSTAINABLE
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT INDEX
So long as there are fewer people in buildings, logic suggests that
energy, waste and water consumption are likely to remain lower
than usual. However, framing the impact of social distancing on
sustainability targets in this way
ignores the bigger picture. It
should also make us question
what we mean when we say,
‘business as usual’.
Lower occupancy rates should
lead to a reduction in direct
consumption on-site. But any
organisation that changes its
business model to incorporate
a bigger share of home working
risks transferring consumption
rather than removing it. When a
company moves its data centre
from its facility to the cloud, it shi s
its emissions to the new host. Similarly, moving to a home working
22 JUNE 2020
model will transfer energy consumption to the employee. It shi s the
organisation’s emissions accounting from direct scope 1 impact to
indirect scope 3 impact.
That said, the broader findings from the research in question
suggest that lockdown has not produced the results that we might
expect. The average reduction in energy across the 300 buildings
included in the study was just 16 per cent. One explanation for this
is that many building operations are pre-set and will not change
according to use or occupancy.
As a result, facilities managers need to understand how their
building has performed during the lockdown. They should find
out how many people occupied the building as well as the daily
consumption of the space. Doing so will help them determine
whether their building operations are pre-set or tied to factors such
as occupancy.
If they are pre-set, facilities managers should identify what changes
need to occur to accommodate fluctuating demand. Possible
measures include building in start and stop times for assets and
systems, managing HVAC settings and lighting levels, and unplugging
items that will be le unused. FM departments will also need to
reappraise their FM agreements to enable these changes.
Facilities managers have the opportunity to drive operational and
sustainable strategy at a time when organisations are looking for
leadership. For the businesses that adopt home-working, FMs should
consider the impact that remote workers have on areas such as
energy consumption and look to instigate real behavioural change.
Likewise, in the workplace, FMs will need to ensure that building
operations align with use, occupancy and behaviours, and engage
with landlords and employees to make it work. The alternative is that
2020 becomes an anomaly and everything returns to ‘business as
usual’.
Do you have a question that you’d like
answered by the FMJ Clinic?
Email: sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
FM CLINIC
Chris Havers
ADVICE & OPINION
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